I was led into the wooden building and given food and water while I waited. The building was interesting. With a high ceiling that was somehow curved and windows that let in a lot of light. I hadn’t been in many wooden buildings. There were a few within the walls of the Ren’s castle, and I’d noticed several being built in Fette when I was last there, but they hadn’t looked nearly as well constructed and maintained as the one I found myself in. Most buildings I saw weren’t built from scratch. People in settlements tended to build on top of ruins, if they even bothered to build at all rather than just subsisting out of the burnt out remains of what was there before. The only exception to that I’d seen was Pott’s, where every building was new, at least in comparison to what remained of the old world.

There were a few deadmen and women milling about, having quiet conversations and occasionally giving me a smile.The smiles seemed genuine, but something about them made me wince. They were just a little too wide, with a lot of eye contact. No one made conversation with me, and while I would occasionally feel stares, aside from those I made eye contact with, when I turned toward them I’d see no one actively looking at me, or I’d catch one of them rapidly turning away. They seemed like a peaceful group, from what I could tell most of them were performing different kinds of administrative tasks. Nearly all of them had white armbands that matched Joseph’s. They didn’t have the edge to them that the Shepherds did.

I did my best to ignore them, grateful that even though they were staring, or smiling at me, I hadn’t needed to do any talking. I ate the food they’d provided carefully. I wasn’t sure that there was anything out there that could poison a deadman, but if anyone would figure it out it would be other deadmen. The food was good, but I didn’t recognize the meat, or some of the vegetables. It wasn’t human, which I looking out for from the first bite. Having a group called Shepherds that kidnapped people, it was a fair guess I thought. There was no hint of it though, and it’s a taste I would’ve recognized.

I pulled up my citizen sheet for a quick glance.

5th Level Postman/ 7th Level Marshall

Patriot Points: 425

SPINES: Be the backbone of America!

Strength- 27

Perception- 22

Intelligence- 17

Nationalism- 4

Endurance- 23

Speed- 17

Job Abilities:

Neither Rain, Sleet, or Snow: You are unhampered by adverse weather

Express: You gain a 5% bonus to movement speed

Special Delivery: You can mark a delivery ‘special’ which will allow you to track it.

Under Cover: You may retain your previous class and those with the ability to read previous classes will see whichever class you choose to show.

You're Under Arrest: You may temporarily remove all job based bonuses from a target to ease apprehending them. This person will be highlighted in your vision while this ability is active.

Freeze: Incapacitate a single target for one minute.

The Eyes of the Law: Detect another citizen’s job.

Federal Authority: You cannot be affected by the abilities of others unless you choose to be.

Lie Detector: Monitor other heart rate and physical state to determine whether or not they’re lying.

Skills:

Walking- 37

Pistol- 14

Loading/unloading- 24

Customer Service- 14

Driving- 7

Melee Weapons- 11

Long Guns- 12

Investigation- 14

Tracking- 8

Virus:

Deadman- Bonus to all physical stats +5, negative to social based skills

Natural weapon- Teeth

Night Vision

#$&^*&#^$! Healing

Enhanced Stamina

Adaptive Empowerment

#$!&#(!*$&(%

I was likely going to level after I completed my investigations, not to mention the delivery of the letter I still had sitting in my pack. I had a feeling I wouldn’t have the opportunity to spend any of my patriot points in Eden. I was also concerned about the scrambled portions of my sheet under Virus. It had happened before, when I’d been killed, when I’d been in the black woods, and after I’d fought the cannibal in Pott’s. Something was growing, building inside of me again. Part of me was excited, but after seeing just how far the mutations could go, I was starting to get concerned about the frequency of them. This was also the first time I’d noticed an ability I’d already had scrambled, and my healing was probably the ability I least wanted to fail me.

I was still, as far as I knew, the only deadman who had a ‘virus’ section in their sheet, which I assumed had to be part of the reason for all of my abilities. That, and I suspected that my travels in high radiation zones, and maybe even my diet were playing a part. I sighed and pushed those thoughts away. In the end, it didn’t matter. I had to keep moving, wouldn’t stop exploring, and owed Pott’s too much to not take the risks I was taking, not to mention the payment I was expecting from the Remnants. I returned my attention to my food.

Shortly after I finished eating, Joseph and one of his bodyguards reappeared. They were wearing traveling clothes and had donned outfits similar to my own.

Joseph noticed my questioning look. “The First is on the other side of Eden. We’ll be passing through the garden to make good time, but it will take us the better part of two days.”

I nodded, I had no idea what he meant by the ‘garden’, but if we were passing through it then I was certain I’d find out soon enough. The idea that the territory these deadmen controlled extended over two days of travel surprised me too. Pott’s was heavily clustered in a single spot, it made the most sense for us. Eden being so widely spread out meant that they either had even more deadmen than we did, or they were spread out for some reason I couldn’t yet discern.

I drank the rest of the water I’d been given, not thirsty but unwilling to waste it, and stood. Joseph and the hulking deadman beside him made for the door, and followed behind them. Joseph held no weapons, but his guard had a gun of a make I didn’t recognize, and an axe with a shaft almost as tall as I was with and a blade the size of my head.

“We expecting trouble?” I asked as I sized him up.

“Trouble?” responded Joseph with a look of calculated surprise then he saw I was looking at the larger deadman and chuckled. “Oh no, Sampson’s implements are purely ceremonial. All who partake of the eucharist make an oath to defend Eden at all times, as such he is never without his weapons.”

“Eucharist?” I asked.

“I’m afraid that is one of the high mysteries. I can’t share with you what it is without the permission of the First.”

A secret, one that was only shared after I demonstrated a certain amount of buy in. Sometimes I’d see things that would make me think of Pott’s and others that would remind me of the Republic. I wasn’t certain I enjoyed that combination.

We began walking, taking a path so well worn it had become more of a road. Joseph was silent for the most part, though Sampson would faintly hum on occasion, a kind of lilting tune that came out at a surprisingly high pitch. The woods continued for some time, and I began to feel the rads gradually decline, until they were gone completely aside from the occasional ambient wave as we passed through small patches . It seemed that Eden wasn’t entirely within a deadzone as I’d originally assumed.

“So, Donovan, you say that you’re from the East…the other side of the crevasse?”

“Yes.” I responded simply, not feeling a need to argue with his phrasing.

“Why did you come here? Why would you travel this way?”

I considered the question. I could lie, and say that was exiled to see what reaction that might stir up, but I wondered if the truth may be even more effective. “I met someone. A… Pilgrim, who was from this side.”

Both Joseph and Sampson stopped dead in their tracks and turned to face me.

“You must be mistaken,” said Joseph, his previously calm and affable expression shifting into something concerned and serious, his sharp teeth showing. “No one leaves Eden. It’s paradise.”

“That’s funny, he actually said he was looking for paradise.”

Joseph took a step closer. “What was his name?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. He was dying when I met him. He was short, had a spear, spoke a lot in metaphors.” As I spoke I noticed Sampson stiffening, it was almost too subtle to notice, and he corrected himself almost as soon as it happened.

Joseph shook his head, returning the affable expression to his face he’d just held. “Sounds to me like you bought into the ravings of a madman. Luckily, it is to your benefit. There is no better place for us than here, in Eden.”

I nodded. “I’m looking forward to seeing more of it,” I lied.

Conversation died out completely after that, and we walked in silence for several miles without even Sampson’s humming to interrupt the ongoing sounds of the forest. The patches of radiation had completely passed, and I was seeing more signs of activity. A patch of felled trees here, recent footprints there, the smells of people recently passing through, getting stronger as we walked. Eventually we entered a massive clearing, there were roughly a dozen small buildings, mostly houses from what I could tell at a distance, and a number of crops planted between us and the buildings. As we got closer, I noticed the moving forms of people walking to and fro and performing various tasks. I saw someone tending the crops and did a double take. The man was human.